Christmas apple
Content:
Introduction
The Christmas apple has the peculiarity of growing rapidly, while the trees of this variety quickly acquire large dimensions in the height and width of the trunk. The crown of such trees is also massive and located on bulky branches, while the color of the trees will be gray instead of brown. Fruits on trees of the Christmas variety always appear predominantly on the branches that appear every year on the trees and which have a fresh kidney system. Therefore, experts warn that this fact must be taken into account when forming the bark and cutting off branches.
Apple Christmas description and features
When blooming, the crown of Christmas apple trees is covered with white flowers with a pinkish tint, which are considered average in size compared to the buds of other apple varieties. The leaves of apple trees of this variety have an elongated round shape, while they have a pointed end, and their surface is covered with a matte shade. The weight of one apple is approximately one hundred and forty to one hundred and eighty grams. However, the weight of the fruit can vary from season to season, it depends on the unevenness of the Christmas fruitfulness. It is also worth noting the appearance of apples of this variety, since their skin is loose in structure and covered with a glossy sheen. Also, the peel of the fruit of an apple tree of this variety has a green color with yellowness, but the whole apple is generally covered with a red tint. Experts note the amazing taste of this variety of apples, as it has absorbed moderate acidity and sufficient sweetness.
Experts also highlight a certain merit of the Christmas variety, which lies in the fact that this variety has immunity to the disease, before which many apple trees of other varieties are powerless, while the scab cannot infect either the leaves or the fruits of the apple trees. The next point that gardeners distinguish from this variety is the beautiful appearance and taste of the fruits of this variety. Also, as mentioned earlier, Christmas has the ability to keep for a long time, unlike other varieties. And the last thing worth saying, listing the advantages of this variety, it should be noted that the fertility of this variety increases every year, and the amount of harvest grows infinitely.
However, the Christmas apple has its own drawbacks, for example, the fruits on the trees ripen at different times, that is, both ripe and underripe fruits can hang on the branches. Also behind this variety, the fact of premature shedding of fruits was noticed. And finally, despite the fact that this variety has the ability to preserve well, the Christmas fruits, unfortunately, lose their taste over time, even if all the necessary storage conditions are observed.
A Christmas apple is considered a rather large tree, it is assigned the status of trees with an average growth, since this variety can be as high as three meters, while the condition that the crown of the tree is formed correctly. At the same time, apple trees of this variety have several support systems of branches, which form more than four branches.
Also, despite its small growth, a tree of this type can grow up to two meters wide. Of course, experts advise taking this fact into account when choosing a place for planting trees and its neighbors. Every year, the basic systems of branches grow, however, in the first seasons after planting a seedling, growth and fertility grow much more actively than in subsequent years. For example.An annual seedling can grow up to seventy centimeters in a year. However, an adult tree that grows for about twenty years has the ability to reach its full volume. For maximum productivity, you must regularly prune tree branches.
Experts also clarify the factors that can affect the frequency of appearance of the Christmas variety. For example, among the first factors, they highlight the appearance of a huge number of ovaries, which the gardener will need to get rid of for the sake of regular fruiting. Further, experts highlight irregular fertilization of seedlings, as well as the introduction of a small amount of top dressing. The next negative factor that experts identify is the wrong approach to pruning old, sick and weak branches of apple trees. This can also negatively affect the fruitfulness of the apple tree. Well, the last reason gardeners isolate in the form of pests and various kinds of diseases, before which Christmas can sometimes not cope. However, it must be remembered that there are circumstances that are not at the mercy of gardeners, for example, such frosts that apple trees of this variety simply cannot survive.
The Christmas variety is an advanced variety, and experts are still working to increase the resistance of this variety to winter frosts and vice versa - to very dry weather. However, experts have identified several points in which it is clearly noticeable that the trees of this variety will need additional moisture. The experts noted that in this case, the cessation of the growth of apple trees, a sharp loss of fruits and leaves from the tree and a halt in the appearance of ovaries on the branches, which, in turn, negatively affects the level of fertility, all this indicates a lack of moisture. Also, it is worth noting that it has already been said above that this variety of apple trees easily tolerates such a disease as scab. However, other pests have the ability to infect the bark and crown of trees of this variety.
Apple Christmas planting and care
It is worth noting that the study of the Christmas variety has gone so far that experts have bred such seedlings of this variety that have a closed root system. This is related to the facilitation of planting apple tree seedlings, since now such seedlings can be planted all year round. However, experts give their recommendations on this matter, pointing out that the most acceptable times for planting seedlings of this variety are autumn and spring, this does not particularly distinguish this apple variety from other varieties.
So, in the fall, it is recommended to plant seedlings before the onset of moderate cold weather, that is, until the first leaves fall off. This will be approximately in October. During this time, before the onset of severe cold weather, the planted plant will be able to take root and adapt. In the spring, experts recommend planting trees before budding, so that this does not in any way affect future fertility during the season. However, in this case, the seedlings will need to receive more water than during the autumn planting, since a lack of moisture can lead to serious diseases of the seedling.
In order to successfully plant a Christmas apple, you need to remember a few expert tips. When excavating a recess for planting a seedling, which should reach about a hundred centimeters in its depth, it must be remembered that the upper fertile layer of soil and the lower soil layer must be laid out on two different sides. Further, when you dig up to sixty centimeters in depth, you will need to put a support, which will then need to be fixed together with a young seedling, so that it is easier for him to get accustomed to the terrain. Then you will need to add fertilizer to the bottom of the groove. Only after that you will need to put the seedling in the recess, fix it with a support.Sprinkle first with the bottom layer of earth. And then with the upper fertile and a little tamp the earth in the diameter of the periosteal circle. It should be remembered that the distance between trees of the same variety and neighboring trees must be kept within three or three and a half meters.
In order for your seedlings to grow in comfort and coziness, you must not forget the following recommendations. When planting, a young seedling of the organic matter introduced by you will be enough for the first year of its growth. Next, it is necessary to apply fertilizers in the fall, then the seedling will already need potassium and organic matter. And in the spring you will need to saturate the soil under the seedling with nitrogen. Next, you need to remember about the regularity of watering the seedling. However, here you still need to look at the weather conditions in which the seedling grows. If it is constant rains, then the need for watering for some time may disappear. If a dry period suddenly comes, the number of liters with which you need to water the apple tree is directly proportional to the age of the seedling. And the last thing that the gardener should not forget is the cutting of bad, sick and weak branches of the seedling, since the volume of the harvest obtained from season to season depends on this.
To wait for the first harvest from Christmas, you need to wait four to five seasons. When trees of a given variety begin to bloom, it also depends on the climate of those conditions in which the trees grow. But. As a rule, the flowering process falls on hectares in the second half of May, since at this time a pleasant climatic situation is noted. Since the Christmas apple tree is a variety that ripens in late autumn and early winter, it is customary to remove the first fruits at the end of September. However, the apples on the trees of this variety ripen unevenly, since there can be both ripe and unripe apples. However, after harvesting, experts have repeatedly identified cases where the fruits could be preserved for a long period of time, which could drag on until the beginning of the next apple ripening season.
In the practice of crossing Christmas, there are two types of rootstock. They are called dwarf and semi-dwarf. Why are these two types used? Both are slow growth specimens. Such trees grow up to three meters, but at the same time they cannot survive temperatures below minus fifteen degrees Celsius. To protect such a tree, it is necessary to apply measures to wrap the trunk of the seedling.
As for the natural areas where the Christmas variety can be grown, then, for example, this variety can be placed in the Moscow region, but here it is also necessary to wrap the tree for the winter from death. However, experts say, if the practice of hardening is applied to trees of this variety, then at some high subzero temperatures the tree will be able to withstand the winter, but this process is laborious. The optimal climatic zones for the growth of Christmas are the lands of the Urals and Siberia. This is where, experts say, Christmas will feel comfortable.